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When The Emperor Was Divine Analysis

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When The Emperor Was Divine Analysis
Conflicts are often started by the utilization of labels. By labeling a certain person or calling them a name it is essentially grouping them into a larger idea or force. In the film Empire of the Sun directed by Steven Spielberg and the novel When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka the main characters struggle with identifying which side of World War II they are supposed to be aligned with. The protagonists from both of the works experience a moment where the line between good and bad is extremely thin. Both Jamie and the family are forced to question their allegiances in World War II.

Jamie Graham was born into an opulent English family with many privileges. He and his family have many servants and live a luxurious life …show more content…
Families like the one in the book who can call multiple countries home often have trouble identifying which side to support during war. One instance of this is when the boy is told never to mention the emperor's name, “But sometimes it slipped out anyway. Hirohito, Hirohito, Hirohito. He said it quietly. Quickly. He whispered it.”(41). The boy is very conflicted because growing up he was raised with Japanese influences, but as he transitions into the camp he is told to show no allegiance to Japan. The American Government forbids the Japanese-Americans from saying the emperors name in order to shun him. By tarnishing the emperor's image in the US, the government essentially strips the emperor of his divine status. One other instance is when army recruiters arrived at the camp. They gave everyone over the age of 17 a loyalty questionnaire. When the mother is filling her questionnaire out she runs into a question asking her to denounce any loyalties she has with Japan, “She did not want to be sent back to Japan. “There’s no future for us there. We’re here. Your father’s here. The most important thing is that we stay together.”(70). Even though the mother wants to return to Japan she knows she must stay in America. In America her children have more opportunities to succeed and thrive. Having a good environment for her children to grow up in is more important to the mother than choosing a side to
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